


If I can't have you (I don't want nobody baby)

by JustReadItPlease



Category: The Last of Us
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Fluffy, I just want my favorite lesbian Ellie to be happy, Light Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-09
Updated: 2020-07-09
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:20:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,396
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25168339
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustReadItPlease/pseuds/JustReadItPlease
Summary: Dina's favorite pastime is flirting with Ellie.OrThree times Dina flirts with Ellie, and one time Ellie finally does something about it.
Relationships: Dina & Ellie (The Last of Us), Dina/Ellie (The Last of Us)
Comments: 7
Kudos: 349





	If I can't have you (I don't want nobody baby)

Jackson was getting increasingly hotter as the Summer days went on. People were wearing less and doing their best not to get awful sunburns. Sunscreen was few and far between now. Mostly everyone just learned to adjust to it, getting dark tans instead of burns. Ellie was definitely an exception to that rule. The girl would still manage to burn every so often if she wasn’t careful. It caused her to have to cover up more. Opting to still wear her long sleeve flannels opposed to a tank top. Dina thought it was a real shame. She couldn’t ogle Ellie’s muscular arms if they were always covered. 

Today, though, was different. A heat wave had unexpectedly hit and everyone was suffering. Ellie, Joel, and a few others were stuck finishing up the new stables. The horses wouldn’t survive the elements if they had to stay out in the fields constantly. Dina had made her way over an hour earlier to see how it was going and was met with the  _ best _ sight. Ellie had forgone the long sleeves and was instead wearing a thin tank top that barely covered her midriff. She was chopping up wood and her muscles flexed with every swing of the axe. Her legs were bare, as well. It looked as if she had cut an old pair of jeans into shorts. It was clear that Ellie was too overheated to care about her outfit. 

Dina just stared for a few minutes, taking every detail in. She could feel herself getting more flustered as time went on. Before she could fall any further into her own thoughts a loud whistle broke her trance. She quickly looked away and her eyes landed on Jesse, who was smiling at her knowingly.

“Hey Dina, you’re looking a little flushed there. Is this heat too much for ya?” Jesse couldn’t even have the decency to keep the sarcasm out of his voice. Dina just rolled her eyes in annoyance and flipped him off. She looked back to Ellie and her breath immediately caught again. There was no way she was ever going to get over this outfit. Ellie gave a gentle wave as Dina began making her way over to her. 

When Dina was close enough she gave Ellie an overly exaggerated once over. “Hey, hot stuff,” Dina teased. Her favorite pastime was flirting with Ellie. The girl was shy and easily intimidated by her comments. Dina just hoped it meant that Ellie returned her feelings.

“Shut up, I’m all gross and sweaty,” Ellie answered back, pausing to put the axe down. “It’s too fucking hot out here.” Hearing Ellie curse while looking like she did almost caused Dina to spontaneously combust. The taller girl was going to be the literal death of her. 

“The sun has  _ nothing _ on you right now,” Dina reasoned and gestured wildly with her hands. “You’re like a walking sex symbol!” A dark blush instantly covered Ellie’s cheeks at the bold statement. She opened and closed her mouth a few times before shaking her head. It only made Dina smile harder.

“You’re unbelievable,” Ellie mumbled out and moved to pick up the axe again. Before Dina could make another remark Joel let out a fake cough. They looked over to see him standing with his arms crossed. 

“Dina could kindly stop distracting Ellie. We’re running out of wood,” he sternly spoke, but there was no real malice in his voice. Jesse let out a quiet laugh behind them. 

Dina only gave him a sweet smile as she began to back away. “No problem, sir. I’m just gonna go find a seat and enjoy the show.” She sent a wink towards Ellie at the end of her words. The other girl looked as if she wanted the ground to swallow her whole. 

The blush didn’t leave Ellie’s cheeks for the rest of the day. Dina loved it.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Patrols were something that every abled person in Jackson had to participate in. Leaving the town to head outside the safety of the walls was always a risk. There wasn’t just the infected that had to be worried about. Raiders and crazy religious freaks were constant threats as well. For Dina, the only time she truly felt safe on patrol was when Ellie was scheduled with her. The girl was a walking tank and it was clear she had taken all of her training to heart. Any fear she felt seemed to be channeled into more rage. It was a helpful skill at times.

Also, Dina loved the fact that she got to spend hours of alone time with Ellie. They got to talk about anything they wanted. It was most times out on patrol that Dina got Ellie to talk about her past. Everything felt different outside the walls. Ellie seemed freer and lighter. Whenever they ran into trouble it was always quickly taken care of. Their teamwork was some of the best out of the other groups. Tommy had told them so at their last training session. 

Dina glanced over to Ellie, who was riding a few feet ahead, on Shimmer. This patrol was no different. They had already taken out a Clicker a few miles back. Afterward, it had been really peaceful. Even the birds were chirping as the sun stayed high in the sky. Still, Ellie stayed ahead of her looking alert as ever.

“El, when are we stopping for lunch. I’m starved,” Dina whined out while getting her horse to catch up with Shimmer. When the two were side by side Ellie just looked over unimpressed.

“You had breakfast like two hours ago,” she answered before looking away again. Dina let out a groan and leaned forward to rest on her horse’s mane. She took the time to stare across to Ellie, who was still surveying the area. The girl always looked really good on a horse. The sun was hitting the top of her head in a way that really made the red shine through. Her posture was straight, the backpack on her filled to the brim with different guns. She looked beautiful.

“You really look be…” Dina’s words were abruptly cut off as she was thrown from her horse. A lot of chaos happened after. The wind was knocked out of her and she couldn’t move. She could hear the snarling sounds of the infected and Ellie yelling her name over them. Suddenly, she turned her head slightly and was met with the sight of four Runners. They were coming right at her and she knew she had to act fast. She kept her eyes on them as she slowly stood, her back protesting violently. The knife in her boot was the closet thing she could grab. All her other weapons had been strapped to her horse. 

Before Dina could even reach down Ellie was swiftly standing in front of her. In the next second she threw herself into the four infected, knocking them to the ground. They all tried to claw at her as they slowly regained their bearings. Dina could only stare as Ellie took all four of them down with her machete. There was blood flying everywhere as the Runners met their tragic demise. It was like watching something out of an old action movie that Joel loved. By the time Ellie turned back around to face her she was covered in blood.

“Holy shit,” Dina breathed out. It could just be the adrenaline talking, but Dina quickly decided that was one of the hottest things she’d ever seen. Ellie made her way over to her with fear in her eyes, absentmindedly dropping the machete.

“Christ, are you okay?” Her words were frantic as she looked all over her friend’s body for injuries. Dina shook her head to clear it of the fog she was feeling and smiled.

“I’m fine, just a little sore.” Ellie seemed to relax instantly at her words. “Although, what you just did was psychotic and  _ extremely _ hot.” The words only made Ellie shake her head in disagreement.

“Just what they taught us in training. Come on, the horses couldn’t have gone too far. We need to get back to Jackson,” she said seriously, before picking her machete back up. A quick glance around clued Dina in that the girl wasn’t going to relax anytime soon. 

She sighed and reached out to lace their free hands together. “Take me home, my knight in shining flannel.” 

Dina didn’t miss the subtle smile that crossed Ellie’s face.

______________________________________________________________________

It was obvious that Ellie was talented when it came to art. The girl was always drawing or writing in one of her many notebooks. On the off chance she had painting supplies there was always a picture being made. Joel had all the finished ones hanging around the house, much to Ellie’s annoyance. When she finally got the hang of playing guitar it was constantly strapped to her back. The only time she would leave it home was if she was out on patrol. Despite all of this, Ellie was very private about her creations. It was clear she was embarrassed to share whatever she was working on. Dina had only gotten the privilege a few times to get a glimpse at her works. 

Like now, Ellie sat across from her writing away in her notebook that was pressed closely to her face. Her tongue peeked out of the corner of her mouth in deep concentration. They were sitting on Dina’s porch. The weather had relaxed a bit and the cloudy day was a welcomed surprise. It was nice to spend time in a relaxed setting with Ellie, even if the other girl was ignoring her.

“Hey, cutie,” Dina spoke, shoving her foot into Ellie’s knee abruptly. “Would you care to share with the class what you’re writing? Looks intense.” The notebook was quickly closed and Ellie shook her head defensively. 

“It’s nothing. Just a stupid poem I’m working on,” she said, trying to brush it off like it was nothing. Dina’s eyebrows raised at this as she leaned forward.

“You’re writing poetry now? Is there anything you can’t do?” Ellie just scoffed. Dina sighed and rested her chin on her knees. “Can I  _ please  _ hear it?” She did her best to use puppy dogs eyes while she spoke. It looked like Ellie was about to protest before she stopped herself. She gave Dina an unreadable expression and slowly reopened her notebook. 

“Fine, it isn’t done yet, though. And you’re not allowed to make any jokes about it,” Ellie sternly explained, flipping to the correct page. A ‘scout’s honor’ sign was all Dina offered in response. She began waiting impatiently for Ellie to begin.

“Take my heart; I'll give it with ease.

Take my hand and walk this journey with me.

Take these scars and heal them all up.

Take these fears and make them vanish when things get tough.

Take this smile and make it stretch so wide.

Take these arms and hold me oh so tight.

Take these feelings and make them real.

At the end, show me how to feel.”

Ellie’s voice shook the whole time she was reading and refused to look up from her book. When she finished she re closed it and placed it on the ground in front of her. She continued to avoid eye contact.

Dina didn’t know what to say. The poem was sweet and made her body instantly feel warm. Of course, Ellie would be good at writing poetry as well. She swallowed through the lump in her throat and looked across at her friend.

“That was really lovely, El.” She tried to keep her voice soft so as to not startle the other girl too much. Ellie finally glanced her way and had a light blush covering her cheeks. There was a smile resting on her face. Dina desperately wanted to ask who the poem was about but she held the question inside. It would only cause Ellie to freeze up completely. “If we lived in the old world I bet you’d have girls lining up around the block to bang you,” Dina joked, trying to ease the other girl’s apparent anxiety. It seemed to work as Ellie finally let out a loud laugh, the tension dropping from her shoulders.

They continued on as if nothing had happened but Dina couldn’t get Ellie’s words out of her head for the rest of the day. 

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Decorating for Jackson’s annual dance wasn’t as fun as Dina hoped it would be. Maria had decided to take her role as leader way too seriously. It had only been an hour and she was already tired of hearing the older woman talking. They were transforming the local barn into a winter wonderland, or whatever dumb name they came up with. Dina didn’t care much for dances. What she did care about was getting drunk and being able to dance with Ellie. The decorations or setting were unimportant to her.

She was currently standing below Jesse, who was balancing on a ladder stapling streamers to the ceiling. It was her boring job to hand them to him one by one. Ellie was a foot away painting a giant sign that was going to hang in the entryway. It looked amazing and it was obvious Ellie was enjoying herself. Her hair was tied back and there was a smear of blue paint across her cheek. The way her hands flowed with the brush was starting to put Dina in a trance. This occurrence was becoming more common as time went on. Dina wondered if Ellie was picking up on any of it at all. The girl was the most oblivious person she’d ever met.

Her thoughts were broken as snapping fingers were placed in front of her face. Jesse was trying to get her attention. When she looked up at him, his eyebrow was raised slightly. “Next streamer please,” he cockily stated. Dina just glared at him and shoved the next one into his hand. Instead of letting him rile her up, she turned back to Ellie. 

“So, you’re gonna be my date to the dance, right El?” The question seemed to startle Ellie as she sucked in a heavy breath. “I need a dancing partner. And I can’t have the other girl’s in Jackson fawning all over how handsome you’ll look.” Dina smirked mischievously as she watched Ellie try to collect herself. There was some truth to her words, though. Other girls in Jackson had talked to Dina before about how attractive Ellie was. It was hard to keep herself from getting irrationally jealous. 

When Ellie stayed silent Jesse let out a scoff at his place on the ladder. “Yeah right, Ellie is more likely to stand against the wall and make googly eyes at you all night,” his tone was playful as he looked between the two. Dina was about to tell him to ‘shove it’ before Ellie aggressively pushed herself away from the table. 

She looked up with a frantic expression and gestured towards the exit. “I um, I’m gonna go.” Dina and Jesse didn’t even get to question her as she practically sprinted out of the room. 

“What the hell was that about?” Jesse asked, but it fell on deaf ears as Dina went after Ellie a few seconds after. When she made it through the door that Ellie had exited she was nowhere to be seen. Dina started walking towards Ellie and Joel’s house, hoping the girl had gone straight home. There were too many other places in Jackson to check. She was worried, Ellie had never reacted that way before to something that was said about them. Dina was constantly teasing and flirting but Ellie had always taken it in stride.

By the time she reached the porch her hands were feeling frozen. It didn’t stop her from banging as hard as she could on the front door of the house. She knew that Joel was currently on a three day patrol and Ellie was the only one home. It took a few more solid whacks before the door finally opened to reveal Ellie. Her eyes looked red and it seemed like she’d been crying.

“Are you alright?” Dina immediately asked, ignoring the shiver that ran through her body. Winter was quickly approaching and she hadn’t put on a jacket this morning. Ellie took notice of this and then silently gestured for her to come inside. Once they were both in the warmth Dina immediately began her questioning again. “You look upset. If it’s about what Jesse said, just ignore him. He can’t dance for shit so I don’t know what he’s going on about.” 

Ellie kept her distance and rang her hands together nervously. When she finally spoke her voice shook. “I owe you an apology,” she started, pausing to collect her thoughts. Dina just continued to look at her in confusion. “You’ve been my best friend for years and you don’t deserve me being a perv towards you.” 

The room was completely silent and Dina made a move towards Ellie, who just stepped back further. “El, what…” She didn’t even know what she wanted to ask. There were tears welling up in Ellie’s eyes again.

“I don’t know when I fell in love with you, but I did.” Ellie’s sudden words knocked the wind out of Dina as she let out a gasp. “You’re so kind to me all the time and all I think about is you. Of course, I had to go and mess it all up by wanting more. Everytime I think about kissing you or I catch myself staring a little too long, there’s just so much guilt.” Ellie’s breathing was coming out erratically. The tears were leaking out of her eyes now. Dina could only stare. “But I don’t know how to stop loving you and it’s gonna be the reason our friendship is ruined. Because I’m an asshole who can’t control her emotions for shit.”

Dina took a long minute to process Ellie’s words. She unconsciously could feel her own tears on her cheeks. Her heart was slowly breaking for the girl in front of her. “Christ, Ellie.” It came out as a broken whisper before she lunged forward to wrap the taller girl into a hug. Ellie refused to return it but that didn’t deter Dina in the slightest. She squeezed her arms around Ellie’s waist as tightly as she could.

“I’m sorry,” Ellie said quietly and Dina finally pulled back. She moved her arms up to wrap them around Ellie’s shoulders. 

“You’re not...I don’t care what happens between us. You could never ruin our friendship.” Dina had to do her best to organize her thoughts. All she wanted to do was kiss the girl in her arms. “And did you ever stop to think that maybe I want _ exactly _ the same things you want?” Ellie chewed her bottom lip into her mouth at the statement. Dina stared at her lips as she continued talking. “All those things I’ve said to you in the past. The flirting and jokes were all real, Ellie. I want to be with you. I  _ really  _ want to be with you.” Ellie was staring back at her with so much admiration in her eyes that Dina almost started crying again. She rubbed her hand against Ellie’s cheek and held her stare. “I’m very much in love with you, too,” she whispered gently.

That was all it took for Ellie to finally crash their lips together. Despite the aggressive start, the kiss was slow and passionate. They stood, holding each other, and moved their lips together as if it was second nature. Dina didn’t think she’d ever felt something so nice before. When they finally pulled back Ellie moved to rest their foreheads together.

“Wow,” was all she said, her eyes still closed. Dina let out a quiet laugh and leaned forward to peck her lips again. She never wanted to be apart from Ellie again if it felt like this. 

“Now you have no reason not to go to the dance,” Dina stated when Ellie finally opened her eyes. “I have to show off my handsome girlfriend. It’s important.” 

Ellie just rolled her eyes before pulling Dina in for another kiss. Dina didn’t protest in the slightest.

**Author's Note:**

> The poem I used in this story is called Make Me Feel by Mariah Chandan. I think it's something that Ellie would actually come up with.


End file.
